Finally a full-fledged metal release on Alien8 Recordings. Alright, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration but the music of Nadja comes pretty damn close. Nadja is an ambient doom metal monster fronted by multi-talented Toronto musician and writer Aidan Baker. Formed in 2003 as a solo project, it has since been augmented by bassist Leah Buckareff.

The music of Nadja will certainly be name-checked with current rulers of the genre Sunn(O))) and with good reason. Having said this, Nadja is different than the bulk of bands operating in the outsider metal movement these days as they employ a much heavier use of ambient aesthetics and influences that help forge their sound.

The recording opens with “Bug/Golem”, an epic track weighing in at a walloping 23 minutes. The piece opens slowly, building from a distant drone that matures into riffing and sparse percussion and then escalates into a murky wall of sound. At the halfway point the track changes dramatically, utilizing heavy guitar riffs alongside buried layers of vocals that combine with eerie melodies before finally trailing off with a whisper. The second composition, “Memory Leak,” erupts with a colossal blast of doom metal and advances at a menacing, sloth-like pace, making it reminiscent of a more plodding Isis or a cross between Earth and Rafael Toral. In its last quarter the track shifts into an opaque soundscape of drones and remote noises. The closer “Breakpoint”, commences with a thick fog of cacophony and then assumes a more subdued tone, employing serene vocals in a style that brings to mind The For Carnation. The final and most tranquil section of the record makes use of ghostly murmuring that brings “Truth Beomes Death” to a graceful yet ominous conclusion.

By the time this release surfaces Nadja will have played a number of European festivals leaving audiences hungry for their first non-CD-R release. “Truth Becomes Death” will be launched in Montreal and Toronto with opening slots for Stephan O’Malley’s Khanate.

The vinyl version has been release by Conspiracy records in Belgium and copies are now available from Alien8 Recordings. This double LP is limited to 750 copies and is beautifully packaged, with a small number of colored vinyl copies available. The colored copies will be shipped automatically to those who order this item while supplies last.